(Football news) New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale and remains in his plans for the 2022/23 season. The Portuguese superstar is not on the tour due to “personal reasons” and has a year remaining on his existing contract, having joined from Juventus last summer. According to various media reports, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been approaching a number of clubs on behalf of his client with Chelsea one of the possible destinations.
In a press conference on Monday, Ten Hag said “We are planning with Ronaldo for this season – that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him. He hasn't told me this. I have read, but as I say, Cristiano is not for sale, he's in our plans and we want to get success together. I spoke with him before this issue came up. I had a conversation with him and had a real good talk." The Dutch manager also said that Manchester United continue to be active in the transfer market with midfielders and forwards at the top of the list.
Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold and Football Director John Murtough were spotted in Barcelona on Monday in order to seal the deal for Frenkie De Jong. The two clubs have a “broad agreement” for the transfer fee, believed to be €65m (£56m) plus performance-related add-ons expected to be in the region of €20 million. Ten Hag said “Definitely we are searching for players in the midfield, and also in offence we are still looking for players. I never talk about players who are not under contract at Man United, players at different clubs. I cannot tell you anything about this issue. We want to have the right players. We have a really good squad, we're working on developing our way of play and if the opportunity is there, we will strike."
The manager has also confirmed that Harry Maguire will remain captain of Manchester United for the 2022/23 season. Ten Hag said “He is an established captain for a few years and he has achieved a lot of success, so I don't doubt this issue." The Red Devils will face Brighton in their first match of the season at Old Trafford followed by a trip to Brentford before hosting Liverpool. They will take on local rivals Manchester City on October 1st before travelling to Everton and Chelsea and will then host Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham.
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